Cook Children's Health Care System

Newsweek has named Cook Children's one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2024. We're introducing you to some of the women who make Cook Children's such an amazing place. Meet Sara Garza, M.D., Cook Children’s Physician Network Locum Tenens Physician, Associate Physician Well-being Advocate. For Sara Garza, M.D., no two days are the same as she balances two professional roles. She is both a locum tenens physician, or one who fills a temporary vacancy for another physician who is away, and co-leader of Cook Children’s Office of Physician Well-being, which was recently created to address physician burnout. As a physician well-being advocate, Dr. Garza works to build and strengthen connections among Cook Children’s physicians and to develop resources and processes that help colleagues achieve better work-life integration. She hopes this work leads to broader cultural changes within medicine, one that values the humanity of doctors and all stakeholders in medical care. https://lnkd.in/gkQ4FtSA

At Cook Children’s, we believe your career journey is about finding the right fit, not just the next position. This commitment to finding perfect matches is why we're honored to be included in TheMuse's "19 Awesome Companies Hiring All Summer Long" article! #WeAreCookChildren’s https://lnkd.in/g5bZhRFx

Repost: Newsweek has named Cook Children's one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women 2024. We're introducing you to some of the women who make Cook Children's such an amazing place. Meet Deborah C. Boudreaux, MSN, RN, CCRN, C-NPT, LP, CMTE, Vice President of Nursing and Patient Services. These days, Deborah’s feet are firmly planted on the ground. But it hasn’t always been that way. As a former flight nurse for Cook Children’s Teddy Bear Transport, she spent much of her career nursing critically ill neonates from the back of an ambulance or while flying in a plane or helicopter enroute to Cook Children’s. Today, Deborah’s office is no longer in the sky, but she’s still aiming for the stars as she leads, supports and mentors the current and upcoming generation of nursing superstars at Cook Children’s. https://lnkd.in/g9V45Ejt

We’re hosting a press conference today at 11 a.m. to announce a series of legal actions designed to stop the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) from taking away Cook Children's Health Plan's (CCHP) longstanding contract for Medicaid STAR and CHIP programs. Tune in to hear from Rick W. Merrill, President and CEO of Cook Children’s Health Care System, Karen Love, President of CCHP, and Samuel and Kathy Grace Sudolcan, CCHP Member Family, as they discuss the human impact this erroneous decision will have on local children and families. We’ll stream the press conference live on Facebook and here: https://lnkd.in/g6z5z8wd. See you there! #WeAreCookChildrens #SaveCookChildrensHealthPlan #CookChildrensHealthPlan #SaveCommunityHealthPlans #MedicaidBenefits #NonProfitHealthPlans #TexasMedicaid #TexasHHSC

Raising Joy Podcast: You Asked, We Answered! (Season Finale) It's our season finale, and we’ve turned our questions over to YOU! In this special listener Q&A episode, hosts Wini King and Kristen Pyrc, M.D., tackle your most pressing questions about childhood mental health. From anxiety and stress management to navigating FOMO through the summer months, we'll be offering expert advice and practical tips to empower you to raise resilient and joyful kids. This is your chance to get the insights you've been waiting for… tune in on any podcast streaming platform!  https://lnkd.in/gDfekFNe

In celebration of #Juneteenth, the Cook Children’s Child Life Department invited patient families to participate in a “Freedom Walk,” or 2.5 laps around the Atrium in the Fort Worth medical center! After the walk, everyone participated in arts and crafts and got to take home Alice Faye Duncan’s book, “Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free.” The event was modeled after “Grandmother of Juneteenth” Opal Lee's annual Walk for Freedom, in which she leads a 2.5-mile walk to recognize the 2.5 years it took for the news and enforcement of freedom to reach the enslaved people in Texas. #WeAreCookChildrens 

What an honor for our staffers to hear inspiring words from the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee! She spoke at a Grand Rounds session the day before the federal holiday she helped make happen. Ms. Opal and her granddaughter Dione Sims, Executive Director of Unity Unlimited, spoke on the topic of health equity, education and resiliency in childhood.   After the Grand Rounds, Ms. Opal read her book Juneteenth: A Children’s Story to children and parents at Cook Children’s Medical Center-Fort Worth.   “She is a poster child for unity, strength, resilience and for overcoming childhood adversity and trauma. To such a degree, that there is no better icon,” Sims said about her grandmother. https://lnkd.in/gaW6X9nK

Our President and CEO Rick W. Merrill was recently interviewed by D. Magazine. Read more about what inspires him, his strategy for motivating others and his toughest challenge on the job.

This just in: Congratulations to Melissa J. Garretson, M.D. on being named to the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization. Dr. Garretson has more than 20 years of experience practicing as an emergency physician who specializes in pediatric medicine. She spent the first five years of her career in a small group pediatric practice before transitioning to pediatric emergency medicine at Cook Children’s. She is a Texas Christian University graduate and received her medical degree from Mayo Medical School, now the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. American Medical Association Texas Christian University Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine “Shaping the future of medicine is a responsibility that I will take on with great care,” said Dr. Garretson. “I will work tirelessly to address the issues important to physicians, so that we can focus on what matters most—our patients.” Read more in a news release from the American Medical Association: https://lnkd.in/gapDzye9

Cook Children’s Orthopedic Surgeons Pamela Sherman, M.D., Lauren LaMont, M.D and Stephanie Goldstein, M.D., are committed to improving the lives of their patients and mentoring future orthopedists. In May, with the coordinated support of the operating room and orthopedic office staff, they hosted a female-focused “Hands On” event at Cook Children’s Medical Center – Fort Worth. The event provided an opportunity for local female students to learn to put on splints, suture and insert plates and screws into bones. “The purpose was to encourage young female students to consider the field of science and engineering, particularly orthopedic surgery,” Dr. Sherman said. “Women are a significant minority in orthopedic surgery. Engaging with our local community to provide exposure to our field early can help impact their interest in science and medicine and ultimately shift the number of women in orthopedic surgery.” Participants had the opportunity to meet orthopedists with varying backgrounds and ask questions about the field. “We hope that by sharing what we do each day we can spark interest and be mentors for future engineers, scientists and providers,” Dr. Sherman said. “Maybe we can even create interest in our future Cook Children’s colleagues!”